The boatman on the Thach Han River

TPO - "Oh, boat going up the Thach Han River... row gently/My friend still lies at the bottom of the river/At twenty years old, he became waves/Gently lapping the shore for eternity..." These verses, composed in 1987 by veteran Le Ba Duong and inscribed on a stone monument at the flower-releasing dock on the Thach Han River, evoked many emotions in us by this sacred river.

Along the historic river, I had the pleasure of chatting with Mr. Nguyen Thuan (63 years old), a volunteer at Long An Pagoda in Quang Tri , who has spent 30 years rowing a boat on the Thach Han River, transporting visiting groups and releasing lanterns to pay tribute to the fallen heroes.

As dusk fell, by the riverbank, my uncle told me stories full of emotion and spirituality about this place – the river of memories, tears, and restless souls.

Uncle Thuan said that here, every morning people come to release floating lanterns, regardless of the month or day. Some come to pray for the souls of loved ones whose remains have not yet been found, while others simply want to light a lantern to express their gratitude to the heroic martyrs.

During the month of July, there are even more visitors, especially soldiers who were fortunate enough to survive the old battlefields and come here to pray for their fallen comrades.

Lanterns floating on the sacred Thach Han River. Photo: Chau Linh.

Uncle Thuan recounted that a week ago, a group of veterans returned to the sacred Thach Han River. They boarded a boat and went to the middle of the river where their comrades from years past had once rested. On the boat, they embraced and wept. One of them, when the boat stopped in the middle of the river, called out the name of a fallen comrade...

When asked why he chose this sacred work for three decades, Mr. Thuan simply said: "Because of my devotion, and because of the spirits of the fallen soldiers." As a Buddhist, he considers this a way to perform meritorious deeds, to send off souls who have not yet found peace. "There are no engine noises, no commotion. It must be quiet to maintain sincerity," he said.

The Thach Han River was once a fierce battlefield. During the war years, soldiers would step onto boats only to be met by artillery fire, with no time to turn back. Some perished, their bodies never to return... "This is a river that will never be dredged; touching it reveals earth, bones, flesh, and the blood of our soldiers," Uncle Thuan said, his eyes welling up with tears.

Therefore, everyone who comes here stops to calmly pray for the souls of the martyrs to find peace and reach the realm of Buddha. Thus, the lanterns on the silent river symbolize the light that illuminates the souls of the martyrs, the light of gratitude, awakening, and hope for the living.

The old man said that more and more young people are coming here than before. That's what comforts him, because the memories aren't forgotten, because those who lie beneath this river are still remembered, their names illuminated by small lights.

The sky before the lantern release. Photo: Chau Linh.

The afternoon in Quang Tri casts shadows over the Thach Han River. The river's surface is as still as a mirror, reflecting the tiny floating lanterns, swaying gently in the slowly flowing water.

Beside the tranquil river, Mr. Nguyen Van Hoa - a lecturer at the University of Electrical Engineering - shared a poignant story about his uncle who died in the war and is now resting in peace at the cemetery in Hai Lang district, Quang Tri province.

“My family has been searching for my uncle for many years. He enlisted and died in 1972. His comrades who witnessed his sacrifice later fell one after another, making the search extremely difficult.”

"The family contacted my uncle's former unit and followed up on the information, eventually finding his original burial place. However, the grave had been moved several times from its original burial site to the commune cemetery, and then later relocated to the district cemetery," Mr. Hoa said.

Every year, Mr. Hoa returns to Thach Han at least once to release floating lanterns to pray for the souls of his uncle and comrades. He comes every year, usually in June, before July 27th, or around Tet (Lunar New Year).

A delegation of faculty and staff from the University of Electrical Engineering released floating lanterns on the Thach Han River.

Students from the University of Electrical Engineering were also present to pay tribute to and commemorate the heroic martyrs.

They say lanterns are the light of hope. But in Thach Han, that light takes the form of memories, memories that remain vivid even though time has silvered the graves and the verdant pine trees. Lanterns float on the river to commemorate the unfulfilled dreams of youth. A time when they didn't have time to love, to live fully, before their lives were laid to rest in the embrace of Mother Earth. Today's young generation may not know where the trenches were, or witness the sound of bombs tearing through the line between life and death. But just one moment standing by the Thach Han River, releasing a lantern and watching the candle flicker and shimmer on the water's surface, is enough to feel one thing in their heart: Peace is truly beautiful!

Source: https://tienphong.vn/nguoi-cheo-do-tren-dong-song-thach-han-post1763540.tpo